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US 6,888,515 B2Granted
Adaptive reflector antenna and method for implementing the same
AssigneeThe Aerospace Corporation
InventorIvan Bekey
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An adaptive reflector antenna includes an adaptive reflector and a mechanism for simultaneously effecting feed rotation and shape change for the adaptive reflector so as to maintain antenna performance with large scan angles while simultaneously reducing weight, complexity, and cost.
Claims20
An adaptive reflector antenna, comprising:
- an adaptive reflector;
- and
- means for simultaneously effecting feed rotation and shape change for the adaptive reflector.
A method for implementing an adaptive reflector antenna, comprising the step of:
- operatively coupling line feed rotation and reflector shaping for an adaptive off-axis reflector of a parabolic cylinder antenna such that each reflector shaping creates an identical on-axis parabolic shape for the portion of the reflector then illuminated by the line feed rotation.
An adaptive reflector antenna, comprising:
- a membrane including a bimorph substrate;
- a reflector structure formed over the bimorph substrate;
- an optical figure sensor;
- and
- a beam scanning mechanism configured to simultaneously effect rotation of a feed and adaptively actuate in real time a shape of the membrane in response to an output of the optical figure sensor such that the reflector structure being illuminated by the feed always appears to the feed as an on-axis reflector of original shape as scan angle is changed.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.